Lobster Stock Recipe & Its Multiple Health Benefits
More than just an appetizing recipe…..
In this article, I will cover everything you need to know about the lobster broth recipe (lobster stock as some might say), why you should be consuming this gut-healing concoction, how to make this liquid gold, and lastly, the benefits you can reap from this appetizing recipe.
Enjoy, Ryan.
What is a lobster stock?
Lobster stock is similar to the more popular and land animal, bone broth, or stock. This lobster stock version is made from the shells of lobster or other shellfish counterparts like shrimp (prawns) or langoustines.
Chefs treasure the subtleness, richness, and uniqueness of flavours of the exterior shell and head that the shellfish contains. Unfortunately, shells are often disregarded and are not utilised by most people.
It is a nose-to-tail approach which utilises all of the animal, not only making it sustainable, cost-effective but also nutritionally rich.
How to make lobster stock?
Traditionally and typically, lobster bisque is made from a stock of lobster shells, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and tomato paste, including the flesh of lobster, flour, cream, and a touch of white wine. Very french indeed. My version is a little more simple than that. Essentially, it is purely just the lobster shell broth alone.
How to cook Lobster bisque
As with any base such as a broth, it requires quality bones or shells. You can find lobster shells from buying a whole fresh lobster, cooking it and then keeping the shells.
Additionally, you might be in luck to find a local fishmonger who can put aside the lobster shells for you from a customer who just wants the meat. IF you’re totally up towards more variety, you can be adventurous and gear up to use shells from crab, langoustines and even shrimp.
When making my lobster broth recipe, I like to have a far amount of intensity and a bigger bang for buck with flavours. Thus, utilising not just one lobster shell but a few. This of course will vary depending on the size of your pot, pressure cooker or slow cooker to be used in making the broth in the first place. In London, I recommend going to the Supermarket of Dreams, an amazing butcher and fishmonger dedicated to high quality.
After you find the lobster shells, it is time to get started.
Alongside the shells, it starts with clean, filtered water. Ideally, from a reverse osmosis filter or a countertop filter such as a Berkey filter.
How to make the lobster stock taste better
Ways to enhance the taste of your lobster or shellfish broth is to include natural flavour enhancers such as herbs and spices.
Herbs work a treat with my favourites being parsley stalks, rosemary, sage, bay leaves and thyme. These different herbs all have their own individual polyphenol and health-promoting role such as rosemary, containing Rosmarinic acid, potentially improving airway inflammation. Spices could include star anise, clove, cinnamon, cumin seeds and black pepper. These have a powerful flavour, so adjust accordingly to your taste. Additional extras include 1 tbsp. of apple cider vinegar, or a slice or two of lemon to provide acidity which helps enhance the extraction of minerals such as calcium and magnesium.
Furthermore, if you are just sipping on your lobster stock, adding a small amount of butter or coconut oil (or both!) and blend it up like a bulletproof coffee is a great idea and tastes even better. I also love to add this broth when I cook rice. Instead of using standard water, use the liquid gold lobster broth to get more nutrients. Cook the rice exactly the same way as normal.
How to use bone broth
Bone broth has been lost from modern society replacing it with stock cubes which although provide convenience, but lack efficacy with quality control and contain additional ingredients or additives which are problematic to some including monosodium glutamate (MSG). MSG has been shown to cause fetal development issues. Its toxic levels can lead to “hypertension, obesity, gastrointestinal tract troubles, and impairment of the brain’s function, nervous system, reproductive, and endocrine system.”
You can sip on the bone broth by itself with a touch of salt. I like to add some coconut oil, butter or extra virgin olive oil to make it more complex, satiating and healing. These fats are healing for the body, so it is a double benefit.
The lobster stock tastes much different than the typical bone broth made from ruminant animals like beef, lamb, and poultry like chicken. The taste is definitely fishier and if you do not like that you might think it’s unpleasant. I think that is where turning it into a bisque, layered with a type of similar béchamel sauce, making it more of a soup.
How long does lobster stock last?
Lobster broth or stock can last for at least 3 days in a cold fridge. Always go with your nose. You may want to consider using an ice tray to make broth ice cubes which you can add to sauces or soups at your convenience. I typically would not keep it longer than 3 days or more than what I would normally do for the chicken or beef bone broth.
What do you need to make lobster stock?
Quality lobster shells (or you can use shrimp or langoustines or crab)
A selection of vegetables (carrot, celery, garlic, onions)
Herbs and spices (personal preference here)
Unpasteurised apple cider vinegar (just a slight touch)
Unrefined salt
Optional add-ons at the end:
A touch of fat such as butter, coconut oil, or extra virgin olive oil
Slow cooker, pressure cooker (or instant pot), or large pot with lid
A fine mesh
Glass mason jars, containers, or ice cube trays
How to make lobster broth recipe
Once you have sourced your quality lobster shells and have the equipment needed, you are ready to go.
Making lobster broth is less time-consuming than bone broth. Technically, it is treated more like a stock that is lighter than a broth. A broth is cooked much longer. As explained, the lobster and shellfish flavour is strong therefore it can easily be too intense for some.
Add the shells of the crustaceans to a pot of filtered water. Add the additional extras to the water. Bring to a light boil. Then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer.
There might be some “scum” (just impurities) that can arise to the surface layer. Remove with a spoon, discarding it to the bin.
Simmer the broth/stock for around 60 minutes or up to 90 minutes.
Then using a fine sieve, drain and catch the lobster stock.
Store in whichever containers you have available.
This is the base layer to lobster bisque so you can now continue making that further or just stop with the lobster broth/stock.
The drawback with the slow cooker is that it does not have a function to bring to a boil.
I like to bring my broth to a boil initially which allows the “scum” or impurities to rise to the top, enabling me to ladle it away to the trash or down the sink. This makes for a more pleasant, clearer broth, definitely worth the effort but not the end of the world. If you roast the bones prior, there will be less scum generally. If there are no impurities, do not worry. Once the impurities have been removed, you can put the lobster stock back on a low simmer, with the lid on for a minimum of 30 minutes.
Alternatively, some like to caramelise the shells and the vegetables by heating them in the pot prior to adding the water. This gives it a slightly sweeter and richer flavour but requires slightly more effort in doing so.
How often and when should you drink this or any type of broth?
I personally do not have any rules with this. I prefer to consume all my food in eating windows or designated periods. Essentially, not grazing all day. This is how humans are designed to work and perform optimally. I like to have lobster or bone broth either before a meal or after a meal. We can also create recipes that have bone broth or lobster broth as the liquid such as using it in rice or noodles like pho.
I am a big fan of bone broth. I do not see any issues in consuming bone broth daily. People do not bat an eyelid having 5 cups of coffee so having one of the bone broth should not be a concern, to say the least.
What are the health benefits of drinking lobster broth?
There are multiple mechanisms here but we will be addressing the biggest bang for buck with 3 mechanisms of action:
Gut healing effects of fish/shellfish broth/stock
Ingestion of lean seafood diet compared to an absent seafood diet had a beneficial effect in circulating HDL cholesterol levels and in the no seafood diet subject “decreased relative abundance of Clostridium cluster IV and a tendency toward an increased Firmicutes / Bacteroidetes ratio were found” in a small randomised control intervention in humans. (Schmedes et al., 2018)
Beneficial effects on human metabolism
Frequent ingestion of a seafood-rich diet has shown beneficial effect improving reduction in energy intake by 4-9% compared to ingestion of terrestrial animals in animal studies thus influencing obesity risks.
Even at equal energy (calorie) intakes, the seafood diet improves fasting and postprandial insulin resistance markers and improves insulin sensitivity in insulin-resistant animals.
A high intake of seafood helps increase circulation of insulin sensitising hormone adiponectin and compared to a high-meat diet, it improves hepatic acute phase c reactive protein. An inflammatory protein produced in response to inflammation from the liver in response to cytokines particularly IL-6. (Liaset et al., 2019)
Slight elevations of adiponectin levels, an adipokine, is associated with a reduction on cardiovascular disease risk, “Adiponectin protects cardiovascular health through its vasodilator, anti-apoptotic, anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative activities in both cardiac and vascular cells.” (Hui, Lam, Vanhoutte and Xu, 2012)
Additionally, the raw ingredients of shellfish make it an ideal and rich source of minerals and vitamins needed for the biochemical and biophysical reactions to occur in the human body. The main ones being with the highly dependant brain selective nutrients: Iron, Copper, Zinc, Selenium and vitamin B12 but also the essential fatty acids, DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid 22:6) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid 20:5) required for brain encephalisation, meaning the increase in the ratio of brain mass to body mass during the evolution of a species or other taxonomic group.
Chitosan is found exclusively in crustacean shells
Shellfish also contains a unique molecule called Chitin which is also known as chitosan. “chitosan in its bulk form, have outstanding physicochemical, antimicrobial and biological properties”.
The shells of crustaceans such as crab and lobster “are abundant and a major waste in the seafood industry, they may provide an alternative to costly drugs that don't always work.” We know that these crustaceans are an invaluable source of carbohydrates, calcium, and protein. Now, most people disregard the carbohydrate component and it’s interesting to note that most calorie or macronutrient counters have a small carbohydrate value compared to land-based animals. The carbohydrate is the chitosan.
“Oral administration of chitin microparticles reduces disease conditions of allergic asthma, food allergies, colitis and foodborne infections in animal models and seasonal allergies in humans. They have also conducted additional studies to advance their understanding of the mechanisms underlying the effects of chitin microparticles on macrophage activation.” (ScienceDaily, 2014)
“The exoskeleton has massive amounts of chitin, iodine, and carotenoids that help with solar callus and light assimilation.” (Kruse, 2017) There is where the true quantum / bio physics magic happens here.
Additional Tips:
Ensure to purchase and invest in wild crustaceans. Farmed seafood can be treated with antibiotics and creating antibiotic resistance, the wild variety has greater microbiome diversity. We must remember, every organism has a microbiome and we are ingesting not only the calories, nutrients but also its microbiome. Thus, it will have an indirect effect on our microbiome as a result. (Sharma et al., 2021)
What is collagen:
There are 28 different types of collagen, all serving various roles, most importantly, the main component of connective tissue. Collagen makes up ⅓ of the protein in the human body, with 80-90% of the collagen in the body consists of types I, II, and III.
Collagen is present throughout the whole body and has been shown to have photon-absorbing, semiconducting properties to enhance healing. This is where red light therapy devices ultimately serve their purpose which can be obtained outdoors or via devices such as Atlantik Wellness (LIVEVITAE10 for your 10% off discount code) which utilise 850nm wavelengths.
The name collagen originates from the Greek word “kólla” - meaning glue and the “gen” as producing, so essentially it means “glue producing”.
Collagen is supported in research to:
Enhance skin integrity, moisture, and elasticity.
Improve symptoms in osteoarthritis, arthritic conditions, reduce joint pain and be safe in both males and females.
Improvements in bone mineral density in post-menopausal women and favourable shift in bone markers with bone formation and reduction in bone degradation.
It is important to make clear the above studies are typically from collagen supplementation not directly bone broth.
You also do not have any dietary requirement to ingest collagen supplements or powders. We have the ability to get all our collagen-rich amino acids from food alone. Utilising bone or shellfish broth is just a handy tool to help.
Additional health benefits of collagen
Various amino acids are present in the broth which includes glycine. Glycine, classified as a non-essential amino acid, makes up a whopping 30% of collagen. Glycine is pivotal in the inhibitory effects of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) which works on the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors throughout the nervous system and even the retina, to regulate its antagonist glutamate in influencing ion channel which is important for fast-acting excitatory synaptic transmission. Glycine has also shown to support creatine levels, needed to enhance anaerobic capacity and output to drive ATP in low oxygen states. Additionally, the synthesis of hemoglobin requires glycine, “reticulocytes internalize glycine and utilize its backbone for heme biosynthesis”. Finally, glycine is needed as one of 3 amino acids to make up an antioxidant, glutathione. Glutathione is a critical antioxidant in the body, particularly in the mitochondria, in handling reactive oxygen species, counteracting, hydroxyl radicals, hydrogen peroxide, lipid hydroperoxides, and even xenobiotics.
Final thoughts
Am I making you think more of why seafood is important for our health? This is why I get all my one-to-one clients to increase the amount of seafood in their diets.
In modern society, we love convenience, we have food on tap, we have an abundance of calories. However, we lack the wisdom, the slow food, utilising of a nose-to-tail approach which our ancestors would have utilised and extracted the full bounty and array of molecules found in food.
Lesson:
Do not disregard your crustacean shells again. Instead, utilise them, save them and build a stash in your freezer to make a lobster stock to optimise your health.
Let me know your thoughts below. Ryan
References:
Hui, X., Lam, K., Vanhoutte, P. and Xu, A., 2012. Adiponectin and cardiovascular health: an update. British Journal of Pharmacology, 165(3), pp.574-590.
Kruse, J., 2017. How Do You Build a Solar Callus Nature's Way?. [online] Dr. Jack Kruse. Available at: <https://jackkruse.com/how-do-you-build-a-solar-callus-natures-way/> [Accessed 3 March 2021].
Liaset, B., Øyen, J., Jacques, H., Kristiansen, K. and Madsen, L., 2019. Seafood intake and the development of obesity, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Nutrition Research Reviews, 32(1), pp.146-167.
Schmedes, M., Brejnrod, A., Aadland, E., Kiilerich, P., Kristiansen, K., Jacques, H., Lavigne, C., Graff, I., Eng, Ø., Holthe, A., Mellgren, G., Young, J., Sundekilde, U., Liaset, B. and Bertram, H., 2018. The Effect of Lean-Seafood and Non-Seafood Diets on Fecal Metabolites and Gut Microbiome: Results from a Randomized Crossover Intervention Study. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, 63(1), p.1700976.
ScienceDaily, 2014. Crab, other crustacean shells, may hold key to preventing, treating inflammatory bowel disease. [online] ScienceDaily. Available at: <https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/06/140624105235.htm> [Accessed 3 March 2021].
Sharma, L., Nagpal, R., Jackson, C., Patel, D. and Singh, P., 2021. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria and gut microbiome communities associated with wild-caught shrimp from the United States versus imported farm-raised retail shrimp. Scientific Reports, 11(1).